Visitors to IBBP rate

Casa Portagioia - Bed and Breakfast Tuscany
Castiglion Fiorentino
Cortona , Tuscany , Italy , 52043

 

Rating		Superior		Excellent		Good		Satisfactory		Poor
Appearance of B&B's Grounds		13		7
Parking availability		3		7		10
Room decor		13		7
Quality of breakfast served		19		1
Overall experience		20
Hospitality of hosts		20
Overall experience		20
Recommend to others		Yes								No
		20

We loved staying with you and thought your place is wonderful. Lovely room and bathroom, v. nicely furnished and we were very well looked after. We liked the touch of the vin santo in the room. Also eating outside in the garden was delightful and your pool is devine. We wish you good luck for the future and we will certainly come and stay again when we return to Italy and you are already strongly recommended to our friends, so stand by....! With all our best wishes and thanks for a most enjoyable and hospitable visit, you set us up well for our Umbrian and Tuscan tour which was wonderful.

Thanks for making our holiday even MORE special !! We both loved the nice and quiet environment of your accomodation, the everyday fresh orange juice (just on time delivery !), the pommodore soup of Marcello (I certainly will try the recipy, help !!), the recommended journeys (certainly Terry's tip of parking always as high as you can in Cortona - parking bill not yet received), and both you !!

I just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic holiday that Natasha and I had. It was brilliant. You were the perfect hosts and contributed so much to what was a memorable holiday for us both

Belated greetings from Woking to say how much we enjoyed our stay with you. It was just what we needed and wish we'd stayed longer. The place is beautiful and really a great place to unwind and relax. Best breakfast and most comfortable bed we have ever experienced in Italy. We hope to be back at some point when it is not quite so hot so that we can actually do a bit of cycling!

Steve and I have been meaning to send a thank you email for our wonderful stay with you in early July. We had such a great time - especially our meal and drinking wine with the two of you on our last night. We're enjoying our summer in Boston and we have told many of our friends about our stay with you. Hopefully you will have some additional guests from Boston sometime soon

It’s already two weeks ago that we (the Dutch couple) stayed at casa Portagioia. Jaap already did send you a message, but I wanted to say thank you as well. It was a wonderful time and I admire your courage for this initiative, or better said the courage to restore this house (including apartments and bedrooms) so tastefully. I hope that future guests will treat this with respect, so it keeps beautiful. I’m sure that one day we’ll return to relax, to enjoy the house, to enjoy your hospitality and to enjoy Tuscany. We surely will recommend Casa Portagioia to friends! I wish you all the best.

We really enjoyed our stay a lot. It was awesome, beautiful, relaxing and we felt like being home. You really make people enjoy there holiday and we feel that you care about your guests. That's it for now from Miami. Hope you are doing fine and I am sure we'll see you soon again

Was just thinking last night that I must let you both know what a loving environment you have created. We felt like we were home.... There is not a doubt that we will return and OF COURSE let everyone else know how special you made our stay. Hope you have a terrific season-if you ever want a recommendation, do not hesitate to ask for one... We look forward to our next visit... New York

Just to say a huge thank you for two wonderful weeks at Casa Portagioia. You have created a truly unique experience offering a superb level of hospitality and accommodation which I have not encountered previously. It was a privilege to stay with you and I hope to be able to do so again in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I will be recommending you to all my friends. Thank you also for accomodating my sister and family for dinner which was very much appreciated. London

We visited this place in april. Our trip to italy was for 4 weeks going from north to south. Tuscany was given a bit of priority given there is so much to see and do. We decided to travel around and book hotels as we went along. Some - even in cities like florence, were a little disapointing, more like tourist sheep depots! when we found this place,casa portagioia, it was a breath of fresh air in more than one sense. Its position is absolutley fabulous, everywhere you look there is natural beauty and a day by the poolside was truely relaxing after all the driving. Our apartment and bill's room were perfect. Lots of work had gone into this place and every detail down to the hand made terra cotta floors to the beamed ceilings - through to the modern, clean and elegant bathrooms. Even the breakfasts (and dinner) we had were a cut above - fresh, squeezed sicilian oranges, pastries straight from the oven - and for folks like us, who needed a break from espresso, their was fresh drip coffee. We really enjoyed ourselves here and really felt welcome rather than just some travellers to fill a room. We booked for 2 nights but extended our time there to 5 nights and used it as a base to visit the "must see" places around there - siena, assisi, a drive through the chianti, cortona etc. They say its a bed and breakfast, but for us the service was as good as any hotel at home or elsewhere -"

We're finally home in Oz and missing Italy terribly, especially Casa Portagioia. The rest of our trip was all too quick as expected when you get to the last few days. The drive into Rome was interesting. I managed to stay mainly in the slow lane doing about 120kph on the autostrada . Hope your guests are treating you respectfully and that you're coping with their unending demands. Looking back over our time in Italy (and France for that matter), both Wendy & I enjoyed our Casa Portagioia stay the most; the environment, the accommodation and your wonderful hospitality and company. We hope to get to Italy again in the next couple of years and will definitely book again. In the meantime, we would love you to visit us in Australia - boat timetables permitting. Australia

We loved staying here at Portagioia and thought the place truly wonderful. Lovely room and clean bright bathroom, v. nicely furnished and we were very well looked after - pampered would be a better word. We liked the touch of the vin santo in the room. Also eating outside in the garden was delightful and, the heated pool is devine. They say the views are wonderful - gorgeous more like

I can not say enough good things about the casa...our group stayed 4 days and were pampered and humored and well taken care of in every way. I even got a haircut! the peaceful surroundings make it so very special. Terry and marcello are cordial ( and fun)! there was so much "positive energy" here. Their attention to detail is exceptional. After leaving we all commented how much we missed the wonderful beds, the fresh squeezed orange juice and the "quiet". i Hope that i will be able to return. Not so much a bed and breakfast - more like a 5 star hotel without the doorman and reception desk!

Having taken months to plan our vacation, the number of places offering accommodation in Tuscany - and Italy was overwhelming. Thank goodness for honest reviews. We reserved around 7 hotels/B&Bs during our 3 week stay and, despite fantastic pictures etc, we can say that many of the places were very under par. It is odd then that a 'simple' B&B should prove to have the best value, the most inviting hosts, the most gorgeous settings and not being thrown out of bed by the roar of traffic! Casa Portagioia was a real treat. From the buffet breakfast (including an choice of eggs - something we didn't get offered elsewhere!), the extremely comfortable rooms, bathrooms of very high quality and cleanliness, the grounds so carefully maintained carefully blending both rural scenery and more formal gardens, the spectacular views from the pool, the very pleasant dinners and the attentiveness of the hosts. All of this a real was a real bonus. We can honestly say that Casa Portagioia is a gem amongst the treasures of Tuscany.

We are travelling through Venice, Florence and then Rome staying a few days in the countryside of Tuscany. Here at Casa Portagioia we have found a dream of a place. The setting is wonderful, the views from the pool stunning and the rooms particularly well appointed and clean. So much care has gone into this place that it shines out above the other hotels we have used here in Italy. The breakfasts are lavish and unhurried; the dinner evenings are as if they are set in a friend’s home, and the food a cut above many of the restaurants we have tried. This is of course due to the time, effort and personal attention afforded by the hosts. A wonderful place that has made our Tuscan dreams come true. Their web page www.tuscanbreaks.com seems not to sow the true pleasantness and tranquility of Casa Portagioia

We enjoyed our stay at Casa Portagioia very much. It brought us a lot of joy indeed. As Bill said "This is something more than a simple B&B". I've already told a few friends and family about this place. I think they would love it. www.tuscanbreaks.com

It isn't often that we would bother to write anything about a hotel, however having spent 3 weeks in Italy (Venice, Rome, Florence and Tuscany) there is a need to mention our stay at Casa Portagioia. After the masses of tourists of the above regions, it was so nice to find a place that was truly comfortable, and where the hosts treated us as old friends rather than the normal plastic smiles one gets used to these days. The accommodation at Casa Portagioa is beautifully kept and their attention to detail in both the rooms and the service they offer is really second to none. All the little extras one associates with larger 4 star hotels were on available and all the help and advice for touring, restaurants etc was eagerly given. Visits to the wine regions of Montepulciano and Montalcino were made so much easier with our hosts arranging wine tours for us. A visit to Assisi made even more special by some additional (very special) places recommended by them. We could even have managed a day triop to Forence (1 hour by train) with pre booked tickets for the main galleries, but we had already been there (and queued for 3 hours!) Even the breakfast was something special all set on a terrace overlooking olive groves and stunning Tuscan hills. The gardens and flowers were amazing. The neatly kept striped lawns, roses, terracotta pots etc etc all perfectly placed blended in to the surrounding countryside of the Valley of Chio. Their pool is a place for total relaxation. Again, stunning views and clear warmed water that just invited the occassional plunge to cool off from the warm September sun. All in all a very special find and somewhere we shall return to again when next in Europe

Casa Portagioia, Tuscanny, Italy Casa Portagioia - You want THE best place to stay? This is it! One of my best friends (America) & I (Australia) met up in Italy for our 'holiday every 3 years adventure'. After I had spent 3 weeks around the south of Italy, we met up in Milan and hired a car to drive around through the north - Lake Como/Bellagio, Venice, Tuscanny and Rome. Exquisite manicured gardens is what you will first see on arrival to this delightful B&B. The rooms were THE best (having travelled extensively throughout Italy staying in a mix of Hotels & other B&B's) - Spotlessly squeeky clean throughout, not even a speck of dust in the corner behind the dresser cabinet! Rooms are spacious enough, all windows have fly/bug screens, a/c, comfortable furniture settings, you'll never have a better nights sleep than on these orthopaedic beds under the crisp clean bed linen. The whole area including other guests are quiet, peaceful & relaxing. The hosts Terry & Marcello were second to none. Both speak Italian & English, so there is absolutely no communication barrier. We only had breakfast on site - Marcello would make us great scrambled eggs, while Terry would pour us bottomless glasses of freshly squeezed OJ. They have a great variety of cereals, fruits, breads, pastries, yoghurts and condiments. There is no way you can go hungry. Every suggestion of activity or restaurant was spot on. The advice or information you receive is honest and practical. Even weeks before we arrived, they offered their services ie. to pre-book tickets to some of the Florence galleries. Terry went out of his way one morning to book us in last minute to a wine tasting at Montelcino, and also printed maps from the internet for an itinerary of our day trip driving to San Gimignano, Sienna to Montelcino. They both have an extensive knowledge of the surrounding areas. Anything you want can and will be done. One thing to note, leave your stress and bad attitude at home, but be sure to pack a few jokes & your happy hat and prepare for some side splitting laughter - these guys are not only warm, caring and diligent to your every need, they have fantastic witty sense of humours. I would go back through the Door of Joy each and every time I visit Italy, without hesitation. Cherene Gold Coast, Queensland Australia

In simple terms: A bed and breakfast in Tuscany that will make you relaxed the moment you enter their cypress tree-lined driveway - and one of the happy memories to take home along with all the Tuscan treasures you have seen. Attention to detail in the accommodation is 110%. The care of guests extraordinary. They go out of their way to make sure you have information, advice and ideas to make your stay in this beautiful area just perfect. Certainly much more than we were expecting and somewhere we would recommend to our friends.

We had about 10 days to explore Tuscany - not enough by any means! We booked a couple of nights at a hotel in Florence and another couple in Siena. Each was OK, but nothing so special. For 5 nights, we stayed at Casa Portagioia - very memorable with charming and caring hosts. Besides the incredibly clean and comfortable room, we also managed to spend a day at Casa Portagioia and using the lovely heated pool. Lovely just to sit and relax, taking in the surrounding valley, hills and small Tuscan villages. The owners were also incredibly helpful. They arranged a couple of tours to vineyards and for us to attend a special lunch at one of the top wine producers in Tuscany - a 7 courser! They also made recommendations and gave us up to date information for other trips and tours. Most useful as the guidebooks can be a little out of date. We also had dinner there. Marcello is the cook and a great job he does too. We had five courses, some excellent wine and, some Vin Santo to go with his incredible Pear and Almond Tart. Although we had our own table, there was a wonderful atmosphere whichg we were able to share with the other guests and the hosts. It was, perhaps, our best evening in Tuscany and certainly one of the best meals. We can't thank Terry and Marcello enough for taking care of us and making our stay so much more pleasurable. Certainly a place we would go back to and recommend to our friends.